Historic preservation in New York
Encyclopedia
Historic preservation in New York is activity undertaken to conserve older buildings, ships, landscapes and other objects of cultural importance in New York
in ways that allow them to communicate meaningfully about past practices, events, and people.
Governmental programs for historic preservation range from Federal ownership and active operation of sites (such as the Statue of Liberty
and Ellis Island
in New York Harbor
) to grants and subsidies provided by state government, municipal support of museums and interpretative displays (such as roadside plaques and town-history websites). Nonprofit programs include activities of state-wide and local historical associations and museums, and activities of historical societies and museums at the national level. Quasi-governmental organizations, such as the New York State Thruway Authority and Thousand Islands Bridge Authority (which have historic sites on their property), play a role as well. Private endeavors, such as investment and other choices made by private landowners to conserve historical features of their properties, are significant but less visible. During the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site
in July 2010, a team of archaeologists discovered a 32-foot-long boat. The craft was at least 200 years old, dating from a time when the Hudson River
was partly filled with trash and debris because of a rapidly-expanding lower Manhattan.
areas, the National Register of Historic Places
(including its tax subsidies) and the National Historic Landmark
program.
s, but there are 20 other National Park Service areas that primarily protect historical sites. These provide the highest degree of conservation
provided by the Federal government.
There are five National Monument
s:
There are two National Historical Park
s:
There are eight National Historic Sites:
There are three National Memorial
s:
There are also two National Historic Site "associated areas", which receive National Park Service support but are not administered by the NPS:
program has designated 257 landmarks in New York, which is more than 10% of all NHLs in the United States. Seven of these are also National Park Service areas.
in New York. These include all of the historic NPS areas listed above, and all of the NHLs.
was founded (after the demolition of the original Penn Station
building) to identify and preserve landmarks in New York City
.
on Heart Island and its nearby yacht house for one dollar in 1977, under an agreement that all revenue obtained would be used to preserve the castle. The George C. Boldt Yacht House
is on the National Register of Historic Places. The New York State Thruway Authority subsidizes the preservation of the New York State Barge Canal
.
In addition, state and university libraries preserve books, papers, and other artifacts.
The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office history (unusual for an organization "proudly serving since 1794") traces its history back to 450-650 AD, when Saxon sheriffs ruled in England.
"is a private, nonprofit corporation founded in 1962. It is housed in the 1850 Weighlock Building, where canal boats were weighed during the days when they traveled through the center of Syracuse on the Erie Canal." The Weighlock building is listed on the National Register.
There is a museum operated by a town inside a covered bridge in Washington County, New York
.
building in Syracuse is a historic building, listed on the National Register. It is operated by a nonprofit theatre company, part of whose mission is to preserve the theatre.
inns are advertised as being in historic homes; some are on the NRHP. Although renovated, many preserve aspects of historic homes which would otherwise be lost. Accessibility by paying guests communicates history on a local scale, and may educate visitors to the area.
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in ways that allow them to communicate meaningfully about past practices, events, and people.
Governmental programs for historic preservation range from Federal ownership and active operation of sites (such as the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
and Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
in New York Harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
) to grants and subsidies provided by state government, municipal support of museums and interpretative displays (such as roadside plaques and town-history websites). Nonprofit programs include activities of state-wide and local historical associations and museums, and activities of historical societies and museums at the national level. Quasi-governmental organizations, such as the New York State Thruway Authority and Thousand Islands Bridge Authority (which have historic sites on their property), play a role as well. Private endeavors, such as investment and other choices made by private landowners to conserve historical features of their properties, are significant but less visible. During the reconstruction of the World Trade Center site
World Trade Center site
The World Trade Center site , also known as "Ground Zero" after the September 11 attacks, sits on in Lower Manhattan in New York City...
in July 2010, a team of archaeologists discovered a 32-foot-long boat. The craft was at least 200 years old, dating from a time when the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
was partly filled with trash and debris because of a rapidly-expanding lower Manhattan.
Federal programs
Federal programs include National Park ServiceNational Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
areas, the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(including its tax subsidies) and the National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
program.
National Park Service areas
New York has no National ParkNational park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s, but there are 20 other National Park Service areas that primarily protect historical sites. These provide the highest degree of conservation
Architectural conservation
Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an architectural conservator...
provided by the Federal government.
There are five National Monument
U.S. National Monument
A National Monument in the United States is a protected area that is similar to a National Park except that the President of the United States can quickly declare an area of the United States to be a National Monument without the approval of Congress. National monuments receive less funding and...
s:
- African Burial Ground National MonumentAfrican Burial Ground National MonumentAfrican Burial Ground National Monument at Duane Street and African Burial Ground Way in Lower Manhattan preserves a site containing the remains of more than 400 Africans buried during the 17th and 18th centuries. Historians estimate there may have been 15,000-20,000 burials there...
, declared February 27, 2006, (also a National Historic Landmark) - Castle Clinton National Monument, declared August 12, 1946 (also an NHL)
- Fort Stanwix National MonumentFort Stanwix National MonumentFort Stanwix National Monument is a United States National Historic Site in Rome, New York managed by the National Park Service . The current fort is a reconstruction of the historic Fort Stanwix occupying approximately sixteen acres of downtown Rome...
, declared August 21, 1935 (also an NHL) - Governors Island National MonumentGovernors Island National MonumentGovernors Island National Monument is located in New York, New York on of Governors Island, a island located few hundred meters off the southern tip of Manhattan at the confluence of the Hudson and East Rivers in New York Harbor....
, declared January 19, 2001 (also an NHL) - Statue of Liberty National Monument, declared October 15, 1924 (shared with New Jersey)
There are two National Historical Park
National Historical Park
National Historic Sites are protected areas of national historic significance in the United States. A National Historic Site usually contains a single historical feature directly associated with its subject...
s:
- Saratoga National Historical ParkSaratoga National Historical ParkSaratoga National Historical Park is a United States National Historical Park located in eastern New York State forty miles north of Albany, New York.-Description:...
- Women's Rights National Historical ParkWomen's Rights National Historical ParkWomen's Rights National Historical Park was established in 1980, and covers a total of 6.83 acres of land in Seneca Falls and nearby Waterloo, New York....
There are eight National Historic Sites:
- Eleanor Roosevelt National Historic SiteEleanor Roosevelt National Historic SiteEleanor Roosevelt National Historic Site consists of approximately two miles east of Springwood, the Hyde Park Roosevelt family home.-History:...
- Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic SiteThe Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site preserves the Springwood estate in Hyde Park, New York, United States of America. Springwood was the birthplace, lifelong home, and burial place of the 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt...
- Martin Van Buren National Historic SiteMartin Van Buren National Historic SiteMartin Van Buren National Historic Site is a unit of the United States National Park Service located south of Albany, New York, or two miles south of the village of Kinderhook, New York in Columbia County. The National Historic Site preserves the estate and thirty-six room mansion of Martin Van...
- Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
- Saint Paul's Church National Historic SiteSaint Paul's Church National Historic SiteSaint Paul's Church National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located in Mount Vernon, New York, just north of the New York City borough of The Bronx. The site was authorized in 1978 to protect Saint Paul's Church from increasing industrialization of the surrounding area...
- Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic SiteTheodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic SiteTheodore Roosevelt Birthplace National Historic Site is a recreated brownstone at 28 East 20th Street, between Broadway and Park Avenue South, in Manhattan, New York City....
- Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic SiteTheodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic SiteTheodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site preserves the Ansley Wilcox House, at 641 Delaware Avenue in Buffalo, New York. Here, after the assassination of William McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt took the oath of office as President of the United States on September 14, 1901...
- Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic SiteVanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site, located in Hyde Park, New York, is one of America's premier examples of the country palaces built by wealthy industrialists during the Gilded Age....
There are three National Memorial
National Memorial
National Memorial is a designation in the United States for a protected area that memorializes a historic person or event. National memorials are authorized by the United States Congress...
s:
- Federal Hall National Memorial
- General Grant National Memorial
- Hamilton Grange National MemorialHamilton Grange National MemorialHamilton Grange National Memorial is a National Park Service site in St. Nicholas Park, New York City that preserves the early 19th-century home of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.-History:...
(also an NHL)
There are also two National Historic Site "associated areas", which receive National Park Service support but are not administered by the NPS:
- Lower East Side Tenement National Historic SiteLower East Side Tenement National Historic SiteThe Lower East Side Tenement Museum features a five-story brick tenement building that was home to an estimated 7,000 people, from over 20 nations, between 1863 and 1935. This building, located at 97 Orchard Street on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, is a National Historic Site...
(also an NHL) - Thomas Cole National Historic Site (also an NHL)
National Historic Landmarks
The National Historic LandmarkNational Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
program has designated 257 landmarks in New York, which is more than 10% of all NHLs in the United States. Seven of these are also National Park Service areas.
Registered Historic Places
There are over 5,000 properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in New York. These include all of the historic NPS areas listed above, and all of the NHLs.
State programs
New York State programs include State Historic Sites and state-listed historic sites.State Historic Sites
There are 37 State Historic Sites; 23 of these are also NHLs. All the NHLs (and some of the others) are also NRHP-listed. The state historic sites are:- Bennington Battlefield State Historic SiteBennington Battlefield State Historic SiteBennington Battlefield State Historic Site is the Rensselaer County, New York location where the Battle of Bennington occurred on the 16th of August 1777. Here, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts militia under General John Stark rebuffed a British attempt led by Colonel Friedrich Baum to...
(Bennington Battlefield NHL) - Caumsett State Historic ParkCaumsett State Historic ParkCaumsett State Historic Park is on Lloyd Neck, a peninsula extending into Long Island Sound, in the village of Lloyd Harbor, New York. Lloyd Neck was originally part of Queens County, New York....
- Clermont State Historic Site (Clermont Manor NHL)
- Clinton House State Historic SiteClinton House (Poughkeepsie)The Clinton House is an 18th-century Georgian stone building in the town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, USA, listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic place of local significance since 1982. It is a New York State Historic Site. The house was named for George Clinton,...
- Crailo State Historic SiteFort CrailoFort Crailo, also known as Yankee Doodle House or Crailo State Historic Site, is a historic, fortified brick manor house in Rensselaer, New York, United States which was originally part of a large patroonship held by Kiliaen van Rensselaer, c...
(Fort Crailo NHL) - Crown Point State Historic SiteFort Crown PointCrown Point, was a British fort built by the combined efforts of both British and Provincial troops in North America in 1759 at narrows on Lake Champlain on the border between modern New York State and Vermont...
(Fort Crown Point NHL and Fort Frederic NHL) - Darwin Martin House State Historic SiteDarwin D. Martin HouseThe Darwin D. Martin House Complex, also known as the Darwin Martin House State Historic Site, was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built between 1903 and 1905...
(Darwin D. Martin House NHL) - Fort Montgomery State Historic Site (Fort Montgomery NHL)
- Fort Ontario State Historic SiteFort OntarioFort Ontario is a historic fort situated by the City of Oswego, in Oswego County, New York in the United States of America. It is owned by the state of New York and operated as a museum known as Fort Ontario State Historic Site....
- Ganondagan State Historic SiteGanondagan State Historic SiteGanondagan State Historic Site also known as Boughton Hill is a New York State Native American historic site in Ontario County, New York in the USA. The historic site is in the Town of Victor, southwest of the Village of Victor...
(Boughton Hill NHL) - Grant Cottage State Historic SiteGrant Cottage State Historic SiteGrant Cottage State Historic Site, on the slope of Mount McGregor in Wilton, New York is an Adirondack mountain cottage first owned by banker Joseph W. Drexel. It was the site where Ulysses S. Grant died in 1885, and is a New York State Historic Site....
- Herkimer Home State Historic SiteHerkimer Home State Historic SiteHerkimer Home State Historic Site is a historic house museum in Herkimer County, New York, USA. Herkimer Home is in the north part of the Town of Danube, south of the Mohawk River.The site is north of the New York State Thruway....
- Hyde Hall State HistoricHyde HallHyde Hall was the unusually large home—a neoclassical country mansion—of George Clarke, 1768–1835, heir of George Clarke ....
(Hyde Hall NHL) - John Brown Farm State Historic SiteJohn Brown Farm and GravesiteThe John Brown Farm and Gravesite was the home and is the final resting place of abolitionist John Brown.It is located on John Brown Road in North Elba near Lake Placid, New York, where John Brown moved in 1849 to lead freed slaves in farming...
(John Brown Farm and Gravesite NHL) - John Burroughs Memorial State Historic SiteWoodchuck LodgeWoodchuck Lodge, also known as John Burroughs Memorial State Historic Site is in Roxbury in the western Catskills of Delaware County, New York, was a summertime home of naturalist John Burroughs. He is buried here, at the foot of a rock on which he played as a child...
(Woodchuck Lodge NHL) - John Jay State Historic Site (John Jay House NHL)
- Johnson Hall State Historic Site (Johnson Hall NHL)
- Knox's Headquarters State Historic SiteKnox's Headquarters State Historic SiteKnox's Headquarters State Historic Site, in the town of New Windsor in Orange County, New York, consists of the Georgian house of the Ellison family, built in 1754, and the grounds around it. It is located on Old Forge Hill Road, just south of Route 94 east of Vails Gate...
(Knox Headquarters NHL) - Lorenzo State Historic SiteLorenzo State Historic SiteLorenzo State Historic Site is a mansion built by Colonel John Linklaen, founder of the village of Cazenovia, NY. Colonel Linklaen was the agent of the Holland Land Company upon whose recommendation the Company purchased the tract of land where the village grew. The painted brick mansion, begun...
- New Windsor Cantonment State Historic SiteNew Windsor Cantonment State Historic SiteThe New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site, also known as New Windsor Cantonment, is located along NY 300 a mile north of Vails Gate in Orange County's Town of New Windsor. The site features reconstruction buildings of the final encampment of the Continental Army.Between June 1782 and October...
- Olana State Historic SiteOlana State Historic SiteOlana State Historic Site was the home of Frederic Edwin Church , one of the major figures in the Hudson River School of landscape painting. The centerpiece of Olana is an eclectic villa composed of many styles, difficult to categorize, which overlooks parkland and a working farm designed by the...
(Frederic Church House NHL) - Old Croton Aqueduct State Historic ParkCroton AqueductThe Croton Aqueduct or Old Croton Aqueduct was a large and complex water distribution system constructed for New York City between 1837 and 1842...
(Old Croton Aqueduct NHL) - Old Erie Canal State Historic ParkOld Erie Canal State Historic ParkOld Erie Canal State Historic Park is a part of the New York State Park system. It is a linear park encompassing a 36-mile segment of the original Erie Canal's Long Level section, and extends eastward from Butternut Creek in the town of Dewitt, New York, east of Syracuse, to just outside of the...
- Old Fort Niagara State Historic SiteFort NiagaraFort Niagara is a fortification originally built to protect the interests of New France in North America. It is located near Youngstown, New York, on the eastern bank of the Niagara River at its mouth, on Lake Ontario.-Origin:...
(Fort Niagara NHL) - Oriskany Battlefield State Historic SiteOriskany Battlefield State Historic SiteOriskany Battlefield State Historic Site is a historic site in Oneida County, New York, USA that marks the Battle of Oriskany, fought in 1777 during the American Revolution, one of the bloodiest engagements of the war....
(Oriskany Battlefield NHL) - Philipse Manor State Historic Site (Philipse Manor NHL)
- Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic ParkPlanting Fields Arboretum State Historic ParkPlanting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, which includes the Coe Hall Historic House Museum, is an arboretum and state park covering over located in the Village of Upper Brookville in the town of Oyster Bay, New York....
-- Coe Hall Historic House Museum - Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic SiteSackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic SiteSackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site is a historically important location in Jefferson County, New York, USA. The historic site is south of the Village of Sackets Harbor in the Town of Hounsfield...
- Schoharie Crossing State Historic SiteSchoharie Crossing State Historic SiteSchoharie Crossing State Historic Site, also known as Erie Canal National Historic Landmark, is a historic district that includes the ruins of the Erie Canal aqueduct over Schoharie Creek, and a long part of the Erie Canal, in the towns of Glen and Florida within Montgomery County, New York...
(Erie Canal NHL) - Schuyler Mansion State Historic SiteSchuyler MansionSchuyler Mansion is a historic house at 32 Catherine Street in Albany, New York, United States. The brick mansion is now a museum and an official National Historic Landmark. It was constructed from 1761 to 1762 for Philip Schuyler, later a general in the Continental Army and early U.S. Senator,...
(Schuyler Mansion NHL) - Senate House State Historic SiteSenate House State Historic SiteThe Senate House State Historic Site is located on Fair Street in Kingston, New York, United States. New York state was established there in 1777, during the Revolutionary War....
- Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park
- Staatsburgh State Historic SiteStaatsburgh State Historic SiteThe Staatsburgh State Historic Site preserves a Beaux-Arts mansion designed by McKim, Mead, and White and the home's surrounding landscape in the hamlet ofStaatsburg, Dutchess County, New York, USA...
- Steuben Memorial State Historic SiteSteuben Memorial State Historic SiteThe Steuben Memorial State Historic Site is a historic location and state park in the eastern part of Steuben, Oneida County, New York, that honors Baron von Steuben, the "Drillmaster of the American Revolution." The land in this part of Oneida County was part of a land grant made to von Steuben...
- Stony Point Battlefield State Historic SiteStony Point BattlefieldStony Point Battlefield is the location of the 1779 Battle of Stony Point during the American Revolutionary War. It is a National Historic Landmark.The site was purchased and preserved in the late 1890s, and opened to the public in 1902....
(Stony Point Battlefield NHL) - Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic SiteWalt Whitman Birthplace State Historic SiteThe Walt Whitman Birthplace State Historic Site is a state historic site in New York in the United States, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site preserves the birthplace of American poet Walt Whitman.-History:...
- Washington's Headquarters State Historic SiteWashington's Headquarters State Historic SiteWashington's Headquarters State Historic Site is a historic site in Newburgh, New York, USA. It consists of the Hasbrouck House, the longest-serving headquarters of George Washington during the American Revolutionary War, and three other structures....
(Washington's Headquarters NHL)
State-listed historic sites
The state Department of Historic Preservation – within the New York State Office of Parks and Recreation—Historical Preservation (NYSOPRHP) – is heavily involved in evaluating candidates for NRHP listings. Sites are given a state listing first, and some are then nominated for a Federal listing; thus, sites may receive a state but not a Federal listing. Owners of sites may opt out of a Federal listing, but may not be able to opt out of state listing.New York City programs
The New York City Landmarks Preservation CommissionNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The Commission was created in April 1965 by Mayor Robert F. Wagner following the destruction of Pennsylvania Station the previous year to make way for...
was founded (after the demolition of the original Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
building) to identify and preserve landmarks in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Quasi-governmental organizations
The Thousand Islands Bridge Authority acquired Boldt CastleBoldt Castle
Boldt Castle, located on Heart Island in the Thousand Islands of the Saint Lawrence River, along the northern border of New York State, is a major landmark and tourist attraction in its region.-History:...
on Heart Island and its nearby yacht house for one dollar in 1977, under an agreement that all revenue obtained would be used to preserve the castle. The George C. Boldt Yacht House
George C. Boldt Yacht House
George C. Boldt Yacht House is a historic yacht house located on the northeast shore of Wellesley Island near Alexandria Bay in Jefferson County, New York. It was designed by the Philadelphia architects G. W. & W. D. Hewitt, built in 1903, and is a massive eclectic Shingle style structure composed...
is on the National Register of Historic Places. The New York State Thruway Authority subsidizes the preservation of the New York State Barge Canal
New York State Canal System
The New York State Canal System is a successor to the Erie Canal and other canals within New York...
.
Archeological investigations
The African Burial Ground (the latest National Monument in New York) was discovered during construction activities in downtown New York City. Road-construction projects are required to have subcontractors who investigate sites for archeological importance (Indian remains, for example). Archeological sites are sometimes preserved in secrecy, although some are pilfered by amateur archeologists. It is National Park Service policy to conceal the location of sensitive archeological sites by withholding location information on NRHP documents (or withholding NRHP documents altogether from the public).Historical societies
- New York State Historical AssociationNew York State Historical AssociationThe New York State Historical Association is a private, non-governmental educational organization founded in 1899 to encourage research, educate general audiences, and start a library and museum of manuscripts, artwork, and other objects associated with the history of New York State, USThe...
: Reported assets of $53.237 million on June 30, 2005 and took in revenues of $6.216 million in FY 2005 - American Irish Historical SocietyAmerican Irish Historical SocietyThe American Irish Historical Society is a historical society devoted to Irish American history, founded in Boston in 1897. The Society's 50 founding members included Theodore Roosevelt, who was part-Irish...
: located on Fifth Avenue in New York City, opposite Metropolitan Museum of ArtMetropolitan Museum of ArtThe Metropolitan Museum of Art is a renowned art museum in New York City. Its permanent collection contains more than two million works, divided into nineteen curatorial departments. The main building, located on the eastern edge of Central Park along Manhattan's Museum Mile, is one of the... - American Jewish Historical SocietyAmerican Jewish Historical SocietyThe American Jewish Historical Society was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of the American Jewish heritage and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation and dissemination of materials relating to American...
: 15 West 16th Street, New York, NY - Brooklyn Historical SocietyBrooklyn Historical SocietyFounded in 1863, the Brooklyn Historical Society is a museum, library, and educational center preserving and encouraging the study of Brooklyn's rich 400-year past. The Brooklyn Historical Society houses materials relating to the history of Brooklyn and its people. These holdings supply...
: Reported assets of $21.783 million on June 30, 2006 and took in revenues of $1.889 million in FY 2006 - Broome CountyBroome County, New YorkBroome County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 200,600. It was named in honor of John Broome, who was lieutenant governor in 1806 when Broome County was established. Its county seat is Binghamton, which is also its major city. The current...
Historical Society: focus on industrial development - Bronx CountyThe BronxThe Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
Historical Society: Reported assets of $1.187 million on June 30, 2006 and took in revenues of $655 thousand in FY 2006 - Brunswick Historical SocietyBrunswick Historical SocietyBrunswick Historical Society is the local historical society serving the town of Brunswick, New York, United States. It was organized in 1974 and officially chartered in 1981. It moved into its first and current home, the Garfield School in Eagle Mills, in 1988...
: Town of Brunswick and Rensselaer County - Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society: one of the oldest regional historical societies in the U.S.; its first president was U.S. President Millard FillmoreMillard FillmoreMillard Fillmore was the 13th President of the United States and the last member of the Whig Party to hold the office of president...
. - Camillus Historical Society: located in an NRHP site, the Wilcox Octagon HouseWilcox Octagon House__notoc__The Wilcox Octagon House is a historic home in Camillus, New York that was built in 1856 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. It was the farmhouse home of Isaiah Wilcox, who had a farm...
- Canal Society of New York State
- Cayuga-Owasco LakesCayuga County, New YorkCayuga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It was named for one of the tribes of Indians in the Iroquois Confederation. Its county seat is Auburn.- History :...
Historical Society: founded in 1966 to preserve the history of the 12 towns south of AuburnAuburn, New YorkAuburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687... - Preservation Association of Central New York
- Clinton Historical Society: Town of Clinton (in Oneida County) and surrounding area
- CohoctonCohocton (town), New YorkCohocton is a town in Steuben County, New York, United States. The population was 2,626 at the 2000 census. The name might be the native term for "log in the water."The town contains a village, also called Cohocton and is in the northwest part of the county....
Historical Society: Town of Cohocton (Steuben CountySteuben County, New YorkSteuben County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 98,990. Its name is in honor of Baron von Steuben, a German general who fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War, though it is not pronounced the same...
) and vicinity - Columbia CountyColumbia County, New YorkColumbia County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,096. The county seat is Hudson. The name comes from the Latin feminine form of the name of Christopher Columbus, which was at the time of the formation of the county a popular proposal...
Historical Society: owns and operates three historic properties (open to the public during the summer season) and a museum (open year-round) - Dewitt Historical Society of Tompkins CountyTompkins County, New YorkTompkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York, and comprises the whole of the Ithaca metropolitan area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 101,564. The county seat is Ithaca, and the county is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community...
: collections from prehistory to present - Franklin CountyFranklin County, New YorkFranklin County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 51,599. It is named in honor of American Founding Father Benjamin Franklin...
Historical and Museum Society: Victorian furnishings, early craft exhibits, genealogy service - Fort BrewertonFort BrewertonFort Brewerton is a historic fort site located at Brewerton in Oswego County, New York. It is the site of a fort that originally was in the form of an eight-pointed star with sixteen faces surrounded by a moat. The parapet had earth walls high from which projected log palisades. Within the...
Historical Society: French and Indian WarFrench and Indian WarThe French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
site with reconstructed post-Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary WarThe American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
blockhouse museum - GenevaGeneva, New YorkGeneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...
Historical Society: operates several historical houses, including Rose Hill and the Prouty-Chew House. Has 1300 cubic feet (36.8 m³) of archives, 30,000 photographic images, furniture, decorative art, costumes, textiles, fine art, tools and equipment, and four historic properties - GoshenGoshen (town), New YorkGoshen is a town in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 12,913 at the 2000 census.The Town of Goshen contains a village also called Goshen, the county seat of Orange County. The town is centrally located in the county....
Public Library and Historical Society: Elizabeth Sharts Historical and Genealogical Reference Room houses over 40,000 manuscripts and documents, newspapers, maps, books and pamphlets - Greene CountyGreene County, New YorkGreene County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Its name is in honor of the American Revolutionary War general Nathanael Greene. Its county seat is Catskill...
Historical Society: CatskillsCatskill MountainsThe Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
heritage, preservation of local historical structures and sites - Greene County Mountain Top Historical Society: focus on "Mountain Top" portion of Catskills through art, literature, history, culture, folklore, legends and environment
- Herkimer County Historical SocietyHerkimer County Historical SocietyHerkimer County Historical Society is located in the 1884 Suiter Building, a historic home in Herkimer, Herkimer County, New York. It is a -story, wood frame structure with red pressed brick walls laid in black mortar built in 1884. It features a complex pitched roof of slate with a brick...
- Hispanic Society of America: Spanish, Portuguese, and Latin American art and artifacts and rare-books and manuscripts-research libraries. Founded in 1904 by Archer Milton Huntington, the museum is free and open to the public in a Beaux Arts building on Audubon Terrace at 155th Street in lower Washington Heights, ManhattanWashington Heights, ManhattanWashington Heights is a New York City neighborhood in the northern reaches of the borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest point on Manhattan island by Continental Army troops during the American Revolutionary War, to defend the area from the...
. - Historic AlbanyAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
Foundation: focus on restoration and rehabilitation of historic buildings; includes architectural-parts warehouse and online catalogue - Historical Society For the Preservation of the Underground RailroadUnderground RailroadThe Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
- Huguenot Historical Society (New PaltzNew Paltz (village), New YorkNew Paltz is a village in Ulster County in the U.S. state of New York. It is about north of New York City and south of Albany. The population was 6,818 at the 2010 census.The Village of New Paltz is located within the Town of New Paltz...
): owns and operates National Historic Landmark District, Huguenot Street, a collection of house museums with construction dates ranging from 1690–1894 - HuntingtonHuntington, New YorkThe Town of Huntington is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, USA. Founded in 1653, it is located on the north shore of Long Island in northwestern Suffolk County, with Long Island Sound to its north and Nassau County adjacent to the west. Huntington is part of the New York metropolitan...
Historical Society: maintains three National Register historic properties (as two house museums), resource center and archive - Italian Historical Society of America (BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
): preserves biographical and other material relating to people of Italian lineage, publishes documents and reports, maintains cultural center, administers scholarships and fellowships - JordanJordan, New YorkJordan is a village in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,314 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Syracuse Metropolitan Statistical Area....
Historical Society: operates Jordan Canal Museum - Klyne EsopusEsopus, New YorkEsopus is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 9,331 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the local Indian tribe and means "high banks."...
Historical Society Museum (Ulster Park): local history from 1608–present; collection includes family genealogies, cemetery records, church records, census records, house and locality records and maps - Lancaster New YorkLancaster, New YorkLancaster, New York may refer to the following locations in Erie County, New York:*Lancaster , New York*Lancaster , New York...
Historical Society: membership application and copies of newsletter (The Lancaster Legend) from 40 Clark Street, Lancaster, NY 14088, (716) 681-7718 - Livingston CountyLivingston County, New YorkAs of the census of 2000, there were 64,328 people, 22,150 households, and 15,349 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 24,023 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
Historical Society - LynbrookLynbrook, New YorkLynbrook is a village in Nassau County, New York, USA. The population was 19,427 at the 2010 census. The Village of Lynbrook is inside the Town of Hempstead. The Village of Lynbrook's current mayor is William Hendrick....
Historical and Preservation Society: education and preserving the history of Lynbrook (formerly Pearsall's Corners) - ManliusManlius (town), New YorkManlius is a town in Onondaga County, east of the city of Syracuse, New York, United States. The population was 32,370 at the 2010 census, making it the third largest suburb in metropolitan Syracuse...
Historical Society: operates a museum; dedicated to preserve history and heritage of Central New YorkCentral New YorkCentral New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
, emphasizing Manlius - MarcellusMarcellus (town), New YorkMarcellus is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,319 at the 2000 census. The town was probably named after Marcus Claudius Marcellus, a Roman general, by a clerk interested in the Classics....
Historical Society: since 1960 has preserved artifacts, history and records of town and village, displaying its collection in a historic mansion - MedinaMedina, New YorkMedina is a village in the towns of Shelby and Ridgeway in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 6,415 at the 2000 census, making it the second most populous municipality in the county after Albion, the county seat. The village was named by its surveyor...
Historical Society: newsletter, holiday open house, school tours, historic home and garden tour, book on Medina history - Minisink Valley Historical Society: information about Minisink region
- Mohawk and Hudson Chapter of the National Railway Historical SocietyNational Railway Historical SocietyThe National Railway Historical Society is a non-profit organization established in 1935 in the United States to promote interest in, and appreciation for, the historical development of railroads. It is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and organized into 16 regions and...
- Morningside Heights Historic District Committee, New York City dedicated to advocating for and protecting the architectures of Morningside Heights, ManhattanvilleManhattanvilleManhattanville is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan bordered on the south by Morningside Heights on the west by the Hudson River, on the east by Harlem and on the north by Hamilton Heights. Its borders straddle West 125th Street, roughly from 122nd Street to 135th Street and...
, and Hamilton Heights in Upper ManhattanManhattanManhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. - Nanticoke Valley Historical Society (MaineMaine, New YorkMaine is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 5,459 at the 2000 census.The Town of Maine is on the western border of the county and is northwest of Binghamton.Maine is home to the Greater Binghamton Airport...
: collects valley history; Nanticoke Creek flows south through a valley that extends from near Whitney PointWhitney Point, New YorkWhitney Point is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 965 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to the Susquehanna RiverSusquehanna RiverThe Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
in UnionUnion, New YorkUnion is a town in Broome County, New York. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 56,298. The name derives from the town having served as a rendezvous for the Sullivan Expedition....
. Nanticoke Creek and valley were named after an American Indian tribe that once lived in the area. - National Maritime Historical SocietyNational Maritime Historical SocietyThe National Maritime Historical Society is a non-profit organization in USA devoted to historical ship preservation and maritime education...
: covers maritime history and seafaring (including art, literature, and culture of the sea), sail training, ship saving, maritime museums and events - Newark ValleyNewark Valley (town), New YorkNewark Valley is a town in Tioga County, New York, USA. The population was 4,097 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the city of Newark, New Jersey....
Historical Society: operates Bement-Billings Farmstead and Newark Valley Railroad Depot; P. O. Box 222, Newark Valley, NY 13811 tel (607) 642-9516 - New York CentralNew York Central RailroadThe New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
Historical Society: membership includes former NYC and subsidiary-line employees, rail historians, students of railroad engineering and railroad modelers - New York Correction History Society: histories of DOCNew York State Department of Correctional ServicesThe New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision or NYSDOCCS is the agency of New York State responsible for the care, confinement, and rehabilitation of approximately 63,000 inmates at 71 correctional facilities funded by the State of New York. The department employs...
institutions and their role in New York State and American history - New York Covered BridgeCovered bridgeA covered bridge is a bridge with enclosed sides and a roof, often accommodating only a single lane of traffic. Most covered bridges are wooden; some newer ones are concrete or metal with glass sides...
Society: founded in 1966 to preserve historic covered spans, to work with local communities interested in saving bridges, to collect information on New York State covered bridges and to make historical information available to its members - New-York Historical SocietyNew-York Historical SocietyThe New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library located in New York City at the corner of 77th Street and Central Park West in Manhattan. Founded in 1804 as New York's first museum, the New-York Historical Society presents exhibitions, public programs and research that...
: museum collections and exhibitions, research library, archive and print room, programs and store - NewsteadNewstead, New YorkNewstead is the most northeastern town in Erie County, New York, United States. The population was 8,404 at the 2000 census. The name is reportedly derived from Newstead Abbey in England....
Historical Society: 145 Main Street, Akron, NY 14004 - Niagara CountyNiagara County, New YorkNiagara County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 216,469. The county seat is Lockport. The county name is from the Iroquois word Onguiaahra; meaning the strait or thunder of waters. It is the location of Niagara Falls and Fort Niagara, and...
Historical Society: maintains Outwater Memorial Building, Niagara County Genealogical Society, Pioneer and Transportation Building, Firehouse, Yates Farm Barn, Washington Hunt Building, Colonel William Bond House and Hille House - NorthportNorthport, New YorkNorthport is a village in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the village population was 7,606. Students attend the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District....
Historical Society and Museum: museum events and programs, a "kids' corner", teacher resources, timeline and other historical information on Northport and its environs (including East Northport, Fort Salonga, Asharoken and Eatons Neck) - Oneida CountyOneida County, New YorkOneida County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 234,878. The county seat is Utica. The name is in honor of the Oneida, an Iroquoian tribe that formerly occupied the region....
Historical Society: 1608 Genesee St, Utica, NY 13502 - OnondagaOnondaga County, New YorkOnondaga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 467,026. The county seat is Syracuse.Onondaga County is part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area....
Historical Association (SyracuseSyracuse, New YorkSyracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
): genealogy, architecture, industrial and transportation history - Ontario CountyOntario County, New YorkAs of the census of 2000, there were 100,224 people, 38,370 households, and 26,360 families residing in the county. The population density was 156 people per square mile . There were 42,647 housing units at an average density of 66 per square mile...
Historical Society: founded in Canandaigua in the late 1800s by Charles Miliken (editor of a local newspaper, the Ontario County Times) - Ontario and Western Railway Historical Society: dedicated to preserving the heritage of the New York, Ontario and Western RailwayNew York, Ontario and Western RailwayThe New York, Ontario and Western Railway, more commonly known as the O&W or NYO&W, was a regional railroad with origins in 1868, lasting until March 29, 1957 when it was ordered liquidated by a US bankruptcy judge. The O&W holds the distinction of being the first major U.S...
- OssiningOssining (town), New YorkOssining is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 37,674 at the 2010 census. It contains two villages, the Village of Ossining and part of Briarcliff Manor, the rest of which is located in the Town of Mount Pleasant....
Historical Society: organized in 1931 to educate the public in the history and traditions of Ossining-on-Hudson and vicinity - Oswego TownOswego (town), New YorkOswego is a town in Oswego County, New York, USA. The population was 7,287 at the 2000 census.The Town of Oswego is immediately west of the City of Oswego, with which it has a common border...
Historical Society: website includes genealogical research application - Oyster BayOyster Bay (town), New YorkThe Town of Oyster Bay is easternmost of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County that extends from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the town population was...
Historical Society: provides craft exhibits, lectures, maps, photos, historical and genealogical documents; headquartered in the Earle-Wightman House museum and library - Photographic Historical Society (RochesterRochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
): history of photography - Town of PompeyPompey, New YorkPompey is a town in the southeast part of Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,159 at the 2000 census. The town was named after the Roman general and political leader Pompey by a late 18th-century clerk interested in the Classics in the new federal republic.- History :The...
Historical Society - Queens Historical SocietyQueens Historical SocietyThe Queens Historical Society, which was founded in 1968 after a merger with the Kingsland Preservation Commission, is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of Queens, New York and interpreting the history of the borough as it relates to various historical periods...
: museum and local history research center (library and archive), headquartered in historic site (Kingsland Homestead); colonial farmhouse history through exhibitions, house and walking tours, and educational programs - Rensselaer CountyRensselaer County, New YorkRensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
Historical Society: established in 1927 to connect local history and heritage with contemporary life - Richmond HillRichmond Hill, QueensRichmond Hill is a neighborhood in central-southern Queens, New York City, USA. It is bordered by Kew Gardens to the north, Woodhaven and Ozone Park to the west, South Ozone Park to the south and South Jamaica to the east...
Historical Society: educational programs and historic house tours - Rockland CountyRockland County, New YorkRockland County is a suburban county 15 miles to the northwest of Manhattan and part of the New York City Metropolitan Area, in the U.S. state of New York. It is the southernmost county in New York west of the Hudson River, and the smallest county in New York outside of New York City. The...
Historical Society: operates Jacob Blauvelt House and History Museum Center - RomeRome, New YorkRome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States. It is located in north-central or "upstate" New York. The population was 44,797 at the 2010 census. It is in New York's 24th congressional district. In 1758, British forces began construction of Fort Stanwix at this strategic location, but...
Historical Society: museum, William E. Scripture Memorial Library, archive and artifacts - Roosevelt IslandRoosevelt IslandRoosevelt Island, known as Welfare Island from 1921 to 1973, and before that Blackwell's Island, is a narrow island in the East River of New York City. It lies between the island of Manhattan to its west and the borough of Queens to its east...
Historical Society: preserves the island's history through educational projects, lectures, tours, exhibits and community outreach; restores and preserves landmark structures on the island; collects and maintains archive of written material and memorabilia - RyeRye (city), New YorkRye is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the town of Rye, which is larger than the city. Rye city, formerly the village of Rye, was part of the town until 1942, when it received its charter as a city, the most recent to be issued in New York...
Historical Society: operates two historical houses: The Square House (circa 1730), an interpretive tavern house and the Knapp House (circa 1670), with library and archive - St. Lawrence CountySt. Lawrence County, New YorkSt. Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 111,944. The county seat is Canton. The county is named for the Saint Lawrence River, which in turn was named for the Catholic saint on whose Feast day the river was discovered by...
Historical Association: preserves county history and operates museum and archive in the country Greek-RevivalGreek Revival architectureThe Greek Revival was an architectural movement of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in Northern Europe and the United States. A product of Hellenism, it may be looked upon as the last phase in the development of Neoclassical architecture...
house originally belonging to Silas WrightSilas WrightSilas Wright, Jr. was an American Democratic politician. Wright was born in Amherst, Massachusetts and moved with his father to Weybridge, Vermont in 1796. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1815 and moved to Sandy Hill, New York, the next year, where he studied law, being admitted to the bar...
, Governor of New York from 1845–1846 - Saratoga Springs History MuseumSaratoga Springs History MuseumThe Saratoga Springs History Museum in Saratoga Springs, New York, USA, is located inside the historic Canfield Casino. The Museum's collection focuses on the cultural history of Saratoga Springs and immediately surrounding communities.- The museum :...
: permanent and temporary exhibits documenting the resort community's history; emphasis on spa, gambling, hotel and ethnic history - Saratoga CountySaratoga County, New YorkSaratoga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 219,607. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Ballston Spa...
Historical Society: operates Brookside Museum - SchaghticokeSchaghticoke (town), New YorkSchaghticoke is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, USA. The population was 7,456 at the 2000 census. The Schaghticoke is a native tribe original to the area. The town is on the northern border of the county, north of Troy...
Knickerbocker Historical Society - ScarsdaleScarsdale, New YorkScarsdale is a coterminous town and village in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the northern suburbs of New York City. The Town of Scarsdale is coextensive with the Village of Scarsdale, but the community has opted to operate solely with a village government, one of several villages...
Historical Society: exhibitions, lectures, meetings and educational programs - Schenectady County Historical SocietySchenectady County Historical SocietyThe Schenectady County Historical Society, located in Schenectady, New York, was established on July 14, 1905, under the Membership Corporation Laws of the State of New York. The Society is an independent not-for-profit corporation, not a unit of government...
: history, genealogy, library and Jan Mabee Farm - Schoharie CountySchoharie County, New YorkAs of the census of 2000, there were 31,582 people, 11,991 households and 8,177 families residing in the county. The population density was 51 people per square mile . There were 15,915 housing units at an average density of 26 per square mile...
Historical Society: history and genealogy of Schoharie County - SharonSharon, New YorkSharon is a town in Schoharie County, New York, United States. The population was 1,843 at the 2000 census. The town is named after a location in Connecticut, from where some early settlers came....
Historical Society: founded 1971; dedicated to preserving Sharon's history, operating Sharon Historical Museum and Chestnut Street School - Shelter IslandShelter Island (town), New YorkShelter Island is a town and island at the eastern end of Long Island in the U.S. state of New York. It forms the tip of Suffolk County and is separated from the rest of the county by water. The population was 2,228 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
Historical Society - SkaneatelesSkaneateles (town), New YorkSkaneateles is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 7,323 at the 2000 census. The name is from the Iroquois "Indian" tribe term for the adjacent lake: "long lake." The town is on the western border of the county and includes a village, also called Skaneateles...
Historical Society: museum and nonprofit volunteer organization dedicated to preserving Skaneateles' history. Website has data from St. Mary's gravestones, Lakeview Cemetery, 19th-century newspapers and family files from Society archives - SmithfieldSmithfield, New YorkSmithfield is a town in Madison County, New York, USA. The town is named after Peter Smith, an original land owner.The Town of Smithfield is located in the center of the county.- History :The region was first settled around 1797....
Community Association: not-for-profit organization preserving historic buildings and properties in PeterboroPeterboro, New YorkPeterboro, located about twenty-five miles southeast of Syracuse, New York, is a historic hamlet situated in the Town of Smithfield, Madison County, New York.-Founding:... - Solvay-Geddes Historical Society: founded 2005
- Spafford AreaSpafford, New YorkSpafford is a town in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 1,661 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Horatio Gates Spafford, a writer and founder of the local library....
Historical Society - Staten Island Historical SocietyStaten Island Historical SocietyThe purpose of the Staten Island Historical Society is to create opportunities for the public to explore the diversity of the American experience, especially that of Staten Island and its neighboring communities, from the colonial period to the present day...
: operates Historic Richmond Town – an authentic village, museum complex and archive. Many buildings have been restored and are open to the public. - Sullivan CountySullivan County, New YorkSullivan County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 77,547. The county seat is Monticello. The name is in honor of Major General John Sullivan, who was a hero in the American Revolutionary War...
Historical Society: history and genealogy - Three Village Area: focus on the North ShoreNorth Shore (Long Island)The North Shore of Long Island is the area along Long Island's northern coast, bordering Long Island Sound. The region has long been the most affluent on Long Island, as well as the most affluent in the New York metropolitan area, which has earned it the nickname "the Gold Coast." Though some...
of Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban... - Tioga CountyTioga County, New YorkAs of the census of 2010, there were 51,125 people residing in the county, with 22,203 housing units, of these 20,350 occupied, 1,853 vacant. The population density was 98 people per square mile...
Historical Society: collects and preserves artifacts, operates a museum, educational programs and publishing - Thomas Paine National Historical AssociationThomas Paine National Historical AssociationThe Thomas Paine Historical Association is an organization based in New Rochelle, New York, that is dedicated to perpetuating the legacy of Founding Father Thomas Paine. It was organized on the anniversary of Thomas Paine's birthday, January 29, 1884, and is one of the oldest historical...
: founded January 29, 1884 in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to commemorate life and works of Thomas PaineThomas PaineThomas "Tom" Paine was an English author, pamphleteer, radical, inventor, intellectual, revolutionary, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States...
and ensure Paine's place in history as a founder of the United States - TonawandaTonawanda (town), New YorkTonawanda is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 78,155. The town is at the north border of the county and is the northern suburb of Buffalo...
KenmoreKenmore, New YorkVillage of Kenmore is a village in Erie County, New York, in the United States. The population was 16,426 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Buffalo-Niagara Falls metropolitan area....
Historical Society: founded 1849 - Tully AreaTully (town), New YorkTully is a town in Onondaga County, New York, USA. The population of the town was 2,709 at the 2000 census. The name of the town is derived from the Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero. The town is on the county's south border, south of Syracuse....
Historical Society: organized in 1977 to preserve two historic churches; features bookstore and exhibit hall - Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical SocietyUlster & Delaware Railroad Historical SocietyThe Ulster & Delaware Railroad Historical Society is a chapter of the National Railway Historical Society . It focuses on the history of the railroads and related social, economic, and cultural institutions of the Catskill and Hudson Valley regions...
: focuses on Catskills and Hudson ValleyHudson ValleyThe Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
railroad history (including the U&DUlster and Delaware RailroadThe Ulster and Delaware Railroad Company was a Class I railroad located in New York State, headquartered in Rondout and founded in 1866. It was often advertised as "The Only All-Rail Route To the Catskill Mountains." At its greatest extent, the U&D ran from Kingston Point, on the Hudson River,...
and Delaware and Northern RailroadDelaware and Northern RailroadThe Delaware and Northern Railroad was a small railroad in Delaware County that was founded in 1905, and was planned to go from East Branch, where it would make a connection with the New York, Ontario and Western Railway, to Arkville, where it would connect with the Ulster and Delaware...
s and the Catskill MountainCatskill Mountain RailwayThe Catskill Mountain Railway was a narrow gauge railroad, long, running from Catskill to Palenville in Greene County, New York....
, Catskill and TannersvilleCatskill and Tannersville RailwayThe Catskill and Tannersville Railway was a historic narrow gauge railroad operating in New York.Also known as "The Huckleberry", the C&T operated tracks that were laid to a three foot gauge...
and Otis Elevating RailwayOtis Elevating RailwayThe Otis Elevating Railway was a cable funicular railroad to the Catskill Mountain House in Palenville, New York. For the first 64 years of its existence, the Catskill Mountain House was accessible only by a long stage coach from Catskill Landing on the Hudson...
s) - Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region, Inc.: an effort to research, identify, celebrate and preserve Underground Railroad history in the Capital DistrictCapital DistrictNew York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
- VestalVestal, New YorkVestal is a town within Broome County in the Southern Tier of New York, and lies between the Susquehanna River and the Pennsylvania border. As of the 2000 census, the population was 26,535, estimated to have grown to 27,369 in 2009....
Historical Society and Museum: discovers and collects material illustrating history of Vestal and surrounding areas - Westchester CountyWestchester County, New YorkWestchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
Historical Society: library and research center founded in 1874 - Western New YorkWestern New YorkWestern New York is the westernmost region of the state of New York. It includes the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Niagara Falls, the surrounding suburbs, as well as the outlying rural areas of the Great Lakes lowlands, the Genesee Valley, and the Southern Tier. Some historians, scholars and others...
Railway Historical Society: preserving Western New York's railroad heritage through restoration projects and other events - White Plains Historical Society
- Yates CountyYates County, New YorkYates County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 25,348. The county seat is Penn Yan. The name is in honor of Joseph C. Yates, who as Governor of New York signed the act establishing the county....
Genealogical & Historical Society (Oliver House, Penn YanPenn Yan, New YorkPenn Yan is a village in Yates County, New York, USA. The population was 5,219 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Yates County and lies at the north end of the east branch of Keuka Lake, one of the Finger Lakes....
): museum to discover, preserve and interpret county history, to collect materials and objects relating to county history, and to plan exhibits relating to local history - YorktownYorktown Heights, New YorkYorktown Heights is a census-designated place in the town of Yorktown in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 1,781 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Yorktown Heights is located at ....
Historical Society
In addition, state and university libraries preserve books, papers, and other artifacts.
Town historians and histories
Many towns have history websites - for example, the village of Elbridge. The Village of North Syracuse history website claims a U.S. first in its town: "The first plank road in the United States was finished and ready for travel on July 18, 1846. The road cost $23,000, was 16½ miles long and planked its entire length".The Onondaga County Sheriff's Office history (unusual for an organization "proudly serving since 1794") traces its history back to 450-650 AD, when Saxon sheriffs ruled in England.
History museums
History museums may be independent of other entities or operated by historical societies, municipalities, or the state. For an example of the independent type, the Erie Canal MuseumErie Canal Museum
The Erie Canal Museum, in Syracuse, New York is a museum about the Erie Canal across New York. It is located in the Weighlock Building, itself listed on the National Register of Historic Places of the United States....
"is a private, nonprofit corporation founded in 1962. It is housed in the 1850 Weighlock Building, where canal boats were weighed during the days when they traveled through the center of Syracuse on the Erie Canal." The Weighlock building is listed on the National Register.
There is a museum operated by a town inside a covered bridge in Washington County, New York
Washington County, New York
Washington County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Glens Falls, New York, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 63,216. It was named for the Revolutionary War general George Washington...
.
Notable preservationists
Notable New York preservationists include:- Michael Henry Adams (American activist, Harlem historian, writer)
- James Marston FitchJames Marston FitchJames Marston Fitch was an architect and a Preservationist, one of the founders of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at Columbia University in 1964. He was a member of the faculty there from 1954 to 1977, and received an honorary Litt.D. in 1980...
(1909-2000) American activist, architect, teacher) - Margot GayleMargot GayleMargot McCoy Gayle was an American historic preservationist and author who helped save the Victorian cast-iron architecture in New York City's SoHo district.-Life and career:...
(1908-2008) American activist, journalist) - Jane JacobsJane JacobsJane Jacobs, was an American-Canadian writer and activist with primary interest in communities and urban planning and decay. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities , a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States...
(1916-2006) American-Canadian activist, writer) - Carolyn KentCarolyn KentCarolyn Wade Cassady Kent was an American historical preservationist and activist, who lived most of her life in New York City on Riverside Drive, one block west of her alma mater Columbia University...
(1935-2009) American activist, Upper Manhattan) - Jacqueline Kennedy OnassisJacqueline Kennedy OnassisJacqueline Lee Bouvier "Jackie" Kennedy Onassis was the wife of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and served as First Lady of the United States during his presidency from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Five years later she married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle...
(1929-1994) American activist, writer) - Halina Rosenthal(1918-1991) American activist, Upper East Side of Manhattan)
- Arlene Simon (American activist, Upper West Side of Manhattan)
Theatres and other nonprofits interested in preservation
The Landmark Theatre (Syracuse, New York)Landmark Theatre (Syracuse, New York)
The Landmark Theatre, originally known as Loew's State Theater, is an historic theater from the era of "movie palaces", located on South Salina Street in Syracuse, New York, United States. Designed by Thomas W. Lamb, it is the city's only surviving example of the opulent theatrical venues of the...
building in Syracuse is a historic building, listed on the National Register. It is operated by a nonprofit theatre company, part of whose mission is to preserve the theatre.
Genealogical histories
Some genealogical histories contain material of interest to historical preservationists.Bed and breakfast inns
A number of bed and breakfastBed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
inns are advertised as being in historic homes; some are on the NRHP. Although renovated, many preserve aspects of historic homes which would otherwise be lost. Accessibility by paying guests communicates history on a local scale, and may educate visitors to the area.
Private homes
The historic character of many neighborhoods is maintained by individual homeowners.Further reading
- Encyclopedia of the Unincorporated Village of Bethpage